1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal crimping machine for assembling an electric cable to a terminal of a connector.
2. The Related Art
As well known that an electric connector which connects two electronic devices includes an insulating housing and a plurality of terminals. The insulating housing is used for receiving the terminals and isolating the terminals from outside. The terminals are the media for transmitting power or signals. Besides the insulating housing and the terminals, the electric connector should be assembled with an electric cable so as to achieve the power or signals transmission between the two electronic devices. Conventionally, the electric cable is fabricated to the terminals of the electric connector.
One common method of assembling an electric cable to an electric connector is provided with a hand tool which has a pair of handle-operated opposing jaws for movement toward and away from each other at adjacent ends of handle members. One of the jaws has a relatively rigid bearing plate defining a bearing surface facing the opposing jaw for engaging terminals of the electric connector. The other jaw has a stuffer portion or blade for engaging the electric cable and driving the electric cable into a receptacle portion of the terminals. The jaws are closed to assemble the electric cable to the terminals of the electric connector through force exerted by an operator on the handle members. A resiliently yieldable backing member is sandwiched between the bearing plate and the jaw to provide yielding movement therebetween to accommodate variable sized electric connectors positioned between the jaws and to prevent damage to the electric cable due to possible excessive pressure being applied when the electric cable is assembled to the terminals of the electric connector.
Another common method of assembling an electric cable to an electric connector employs a terminal crimping device. The terminal crimping device includes a pressing toothed upper die having a recess, and a lower die which is engaged with the recess to crimp the terminal over the electric cable thereby to connect the terminal to the electric cable. The recess has linear guide walls parallel with each other. So the lower die is slid in the space defined by the linear guide walls, relatively to the pressing toothed upper die.
It can be seen that the two methods of assembling the electric cable to the electric connector described above have different disadvantages. For many instances, the hand tool needs an operator to manipulate, so increasing required manpower, and reducing the assembly efficiency. Even if the aforesaid terminal crimping device increases the assembly efficiency, the force that acts on the terminal to embrace the electric cable is not symmetrical, and then the electrical connection between the electric cable and the terminals is not stable, which brings a bad influence on electrical properties of the electric connector.